Ask A Pro: Extractions and Blackheads
Dr. Pimple Popper made this famous and it’s the reason most people get into this industry, EXTRACTIONS! We all want clear skin, and there is something addictive about watching those little buggers pop out of a follicle. But just what is a blackhead? Do we have to extract them or do those strip things work? Those questions and many many more are answered in this blog so buckle up, grab a pen and paper, and get ready to learn all about extractions.
“Dear clogged pores, if you are going to take up space I’m going to need to see some rent.”
Let’s start with, in my book, one of the biggest reasons I think we need to get our pores cleaned out regularly.
Very often, I come across a blackhead that’s so compacted it’s fully clogged that follicle and is now turning into a pimple. What’s crazy is it could have been prevented days ago! If you see redness and irritation around your blackhead, chances are it’s trying to become a pimple…
A clogged pore doesn’t always mean a pimple and a pimple isn’t always the result of a blackhead. So just what is a clogged pore vs. a pimple?!
A clogged pore aka blackhead is a follicle that has debris (dirt, dead skin, skin oil) trapped in it, and there is a visible opening. A pimple is an impacted follicle that now has bacteria thriving and having a party, aka pus and irritation are present. Milia is a closed follicle with what can only be called a “dead skin and oil pearl” that is hard, white, and impossible to squeeze and remove. The only way to treat milia is to use a lancet or needle to pop an opening so that the “skin pearl” can pop out. This is not something legally an esthetician in the state of California (aka me) can do.
You can regularly exfoliate and hydrate the skin and eventually, you will be able to get Milia out without the use of a lancet, but that requires time and dedication. Most people don’t want to wait for that moment to come.
“Strategically places Snapchat text box over breakout”
Not all pimples started their life as a blackhead, but every blackhead has the potential to turn into one, keep filling up, and stretch out your pore. So how do you get them out?! Similar to milia, there is a specific way in which blackheads aka comedones come out. Before we dive in though, let me say that your nails are not one of those methods…
One of the most common tools is the metal extractor or that weird little loop-looking thing in the photo above on the right, which is used most commonly by estheticians. I always warn my clients the first time I use this tool:
“it’s going to feel like I’m stabbing you in the face with a tiny needle. I promise I am not!”
- eri the esti
It’s true! It’s not the most comfortable tool and for some reason when another person uses it on you as opposed to you using it on yourself, it hurts more. I use one at home for my extractions and it doesn’t hurt that bad but it is still quite uncomfortable and I uncontrollably sneeze.
In the picture above, it’s the first two metal tools in the picture on the right. The two after it that look like needles are just that, but called lancets. These are used to help remove Milia, but not by estheticians in the State of California, as mentioned, that would be outside of the scope of our license and we could get fined or lose our license for even just having one in the treatment room 😳
The tool in the picture to the left is called an Ultrasonic Blade, Skin Spatula, and Skin Scrubber, to name a few. Sounds crazy and a little scary right? It’s actually the least painful out of every tool! By vibrating extremely fast, this little guy helps to easily wiggle blackheads out of their comfy follicle quickly, in mass quantities (you can get more than one at a time), and relatively pain-free. It can be a little tricky to use on yourself though, so practice and patience are needed.
The spatula is what I use in the treatment room and even though you can use it on yourself, I find it awkward and prefer my good old metal extractor. There are more tools, but they are for professional use, and the ones that they make for the market I honestly don’t trust…I see you vacuum blackhead tool.
You can also use your fingers, but NOT YOUR NAIL! I can’t stress this enough as your fingernail is a cesspool of debris, dirt, and bacteria. Whatever you do, never ever use your nails on your skin, I promise you the facial tools are easier, more efficient, and won’t lead to potential breakouts.
When performing manual extractions with your fingers, they will be wrapped, so you shouldn’t be able to squeeze with your nail and deposit debris, but still try to not do it. You’ll be wiggling the blackhead out of the follicle by using the sides of your fingers and wiggling back and forth until the blackhead pops out. I will say that for this method the skin needs to be really hydrated. So oily skin types, heck yes, dry and combo skin…maybe stick to the tools.
Hopefully, you’re feeling a little more confident about the tools and might feel slightly overwhelmed or maybe ready to start using some of them. Wherever you stand, it’s time to talk about the How-Tos of at-home extractions.
Tips For Extractions At Home:
Have everything handy. Keeping your tools, cotton wipes, and even a small bottle of toner next to each other will make doing all the steps necessary much easier. As the old saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.”
Make sure you have good lighting and a magnifying mirror. Trying to do extractions over your sink will peering into your vanity mirror might not make for the easiest view.
Practice on easy spots to extract like between the eyebrows and the chin. This can help get your technique down for the trickiest spot of all, the nose.
Have a drier skin type? Try performing your extractions right after your shower. The steam from the hot water helps to open up pores making extractions a little easier.
“So you want me to glow, be perfectly smooth, and never be affected by the sun... but what have you done for me lately?”
Skincare For Extractions:
Cleansers + Exfoliants: You will need to properly cleanse and exfoliate your skin before diving into clearing out those pores. Use an AHA or Retinol-based exfoliant to help release any dead skin blocking your pore.
Serum: After cleansing, before performing your extractions, use a Hydrating Serum to help those stubborn blackheads get out! Any HA serum should work, my all-time favorite is the Ageless Skin Hydrating Serum.
Toner: You can use either Witch Hazel, Apple Cider Vinegar, or a hydrating toner with prebiotics like Skin Script’s Cucumber Hydration Toner. Tone your skin only after extractions. This will help remove excess debris and keep your newly cleaned out follicles from turning into any breakouts.
Finishing Products: After you’ve toned your skin, apply any additional serums you normally use followed by your moisturizer. Don’t worry, your product won’t clog your pores!
Steps To Extract Like A Pro:
Cleanse and exfoliate the skin
Pat dry skin, apply HA serum
Wrap fingers in cotton wipes/tissue and make sure any tool about to be used is cleaned
Using the tool at about a 45-degree downward angle to your face, press right at the top of the pore you are extracting, debris should pop out onto your tool. You want to press around the opening but not on it and pressing the loop onto a follicle could push the blackhead in further…
Wipe debris onto cotton wrapped finger
Once done extracting an area (like the nose or forehead) wipe the skin downward with a toner soaked pad/wipe
After you’re complete with your extractions (no longer than 15 minutes please!), tone the entire face, and apply your vitamin-rich or second facial serum and moisturizer.
Still unclear on how to extract your skin? Check out my April First Friday Night LIVE Facial where I demo how to do extractions with the Ultrasonic Blade or my Instagram Guide “Pimple Popper” where I break down extracting almost everything.
The Do’s:
Perform home extractions somewhat regularly. Our pores are filling back up as soon as we clear them out, typically this takes about 30 days, but many pores can fill up faster. Do a check once a week (try keeping it the same day every week) and look over your T-Zone for any blackhead ready to leave.
Clean your tools before and after use! I wipe mine down with small saturated alcohol wipes I found in the first aid section of Rite-Aid. They are super handy and easy to store next to my tools.
Keep your tools tucked away! Don’t leave them out where bathroom debris can get on them. You can use a small pouch, plastic container, or even a jar that they stand upright inside your medicine cabinet.
Use a HA serum before you extract! I know I mentioned this above but it is key to god extractions! This will help the blackhead come out of the follicle, otherwise, if they don’t have sufficient hydration no matter how hard you squeeze they will not come out.
Use your facial toner on a cotton ball afterward over the extracted area! Toner will help wipe up any leftover dirt or debris, help keep follicles clean, and allow the skin to calm down after all that work.
The Don’ts:
Use your nail. Ever.
Use an uncleaned tool. This could lead to potential breakout or infection so always wipe down your tools before and after each use with alcohol.
Share tools. This sounds like sharing needles, but it kind of is…there is a potential for skin to break and blood and pus to be present so please trust that your friends are investing in their own beauty tools or gift idea!
Randomly extract a blackhead with no proper prep or post-care. Try to keep yourself from squeezing and picking at your skin as much as possible. Even if I find a blackhead on my BF, I will march him to the bathroom and prep his skin, extract, cleanse the skin, and be done. It’s important to do all the steps, not just get the debris out.
Use any product claiming to ‘remove blackheads without extractions’. If that was possible, I would use it on my clients and make extractions easier for everyone! Remember, it’s debris trapped in a pore, it needs help coming out and skincare products alone can’t do it for you.
“Skin Sin: Being rough and abrasive with your skin topically thinking it’s going to fix all your skin problems.”
Ok, I know a few of you are not going to like what I am about to say about some of those blackhead skincare gimmicks out on the market.
You want to believe they work! The commercials are so promising with their images of blackheads sticking to the goop just peeled off, and you’ve seen stuff come ‘out’ of your skin using them! But I promise you that is not how blackheads work…
The Big Myth:
The theory is that the product will sink in a smidge to the top of your pore, attach to the debris like a magnet and pull it out of your follicle. The reality is that doesn’t happen.
Remember, our blackheads are made up of dead skin and oil. These two make anything ranging from a yellowish mush that slides out your follicle like a worm, to a golden kernel of dead skin and oil like a tiny pearl. Neither of these can be sucked out by some kind of skincare product, they need to be pushed out.
The Reality:
In most cases what these things are “pulling out” are small hairs (we are covered in hair including on top of our nose), dead skin (but not the one in your pore), and at the most, like the most, something called sebaceous filament which is just compressed oil. While that sounds productive, it’s actually stripping your skin’s surface and making it impossible for bigger blackheads to ever come out. Remember, the skin needs to be hydrated to purge debris like blackheads, and those strips and products are just drying the skin’s surface out.
The fact of the matter is there is no shortcut to keeping pores clear, you just gotta do the work. In the long run, your skin will thank you for it. Keeping follicles clear also keeps them from stretching out and expanding over the years, and supports the flora and fauna of your skin’s surface, all good things if glowing, healthy skin is your goal!
That was A LOT, and if you didn’t think it was then maybe you knew a lot more about extractions than you thought you did! Or you might want to go back and reread it 😅 Save this article, reference it often, and try out at-home extractions, just BE GENTLE! YOU CAN BREAK CAPILLARIES WHICH CAN NOT BE UNDONE IF YOU ARE AN AGGRESSIVE EXTRACTOR! So seriously, use light pressure and don’t force something to come out that isn’t ready to.
I hope this article helped you feel more confident in performing your own extractions, I believe it is helpful to do them at home even if you are seeing an esthetician regularly. Let me know if you have any questions about extractions or blackheads by popping over to my Instagram! As always, be good to your skin and even better to your whole self ❤️
xx eri